Method of dredging channels.



- s. GEOGHEGAN. METHOD OF DREDGING CHANNELS.

APPLICATION FILED APB.18. 1911.

Patented Jan. 16, 1912.

4 sums-sum 1.

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Alla/Hey COLUMBIA PLANOURAPH CO.,WASHINDTON, D. c.

S. A. GEOGHEGAN.

METHOD OF DREDGING CHANNELS. APPLICATION FILED APRJB. 1911.

1,015,170. Patented Jan. 16,1912.-

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30 P9 29 2/ I ll' I' III I' l I I7 20 l l WITNESS INVENTOR I W? W 4 flame COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH CO.,WASH1NGTOH. D. c.

s. A. GEOGHEGAN. METHOD OPDREDGING CHANNELS. APPLICATION FILED APRJB, 1911.

Patented Jan. 16, 1912.

'4 sums-sum a.

[NI/ENTOR fly W Alforuey rm COLUMBIA PLANDGRAPII co. WASHINGTON, n. c.

S: A. GEOGHEGAN.

METHOD OF DREDGING CHANNELS. APPLIOATION FILED APR.18. 1911.

- Patehted Jan.16, 1912.

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, cut up the silt or sand at the bottom by sub- 1 UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

STEWART ALBERT GEOGI-IEGAN, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

METHOD OF DREDGING CHANNELS.

skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in the method of dredging and deepening channels in waterways, and commonly known as hydraulic suction dredging.

Prior to my invention it has been usual to marine plows or rotary cutters, which material agitated and mixed with the water is drawn up by a centrifugal pump and suc- 1 cessively delivered at the top of a series of 3 pockets rising from the bottom of the dredge, and with the coaming of said pock- I ets rising above the deck of the dredge and provided with overflow pipes or channels,? through which, when said pockets become full, and while the silt and sand mixed and held in suspension in the water is gravitating toward the bottom of the pockets the water and silt or sand being delivered reach? ing the level of the overflow pipes or channels flows overboard. As the said matter accumulates at the bottom and increases in depth and volume, which is determined by suitable hand sounding devices, the supply of water and solid material held in suspension is permitted to overflow through the coamings of the pocket and is returned to the waterway.

During the time required by the process of gravitation for the pockets to become filled with solid matter, much the larger percentage of the said matter (estimated by experience to be from seventy-five to eightyfive per cent.) is returned through the overflows and in due course is deposited at some other locality in the waterway.

In all contracts for removing solid matter from the bottom of waterways it is the custom to pay a contract price per cubic yard of such material accumulated in the Specification of Letters Patent.

v pockets of the dredge and delivered at the dump, which is determined by measurements of the contents of the several pockets upon the dredge.

From this brief description of the present method of operation it will be readily understood that only a limited amount of the material removed from the bottom-is compensated for. Not only is this the case,

paratus, which correspondingly involves profit in the results.

My invention has for its object to recover v Patented Jan. 16,1912. Application filed April 18,1911. Serial No. 621,950.

and deliver at thedump substantially all of the solid matter removed from the bottom of the waterway, which involves the two-fold advantage of avoiding the deposition of the solid material at some other 10- cality by the process of gravitation, and a better compensation to the contractor f0 labor performed.

With these ends in view, my invention consists in the generic idea of delivering the water admixed with the solid material initially at the bottom of the several pockets, and then successively adjacent to the upper surface of the accumulating solid material, in contra-distinction to liberating the same at the top of the pockets and depending upon the slow process of gravitation.

In order that the generic featur'e'of my improved method may be fully understood, attention is called to the fact that the solid material held in suspension in the water having greater specific gravity than the water, if delivered in the manner stated, will not rise, but immediately settles at the bottom and successively upon the deposit.

In carrying forward my improved method the same more in detail, referring to the accompanying-drawings, in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side elevationof a dredging apparatus I have devised-for carrying out my improved-' method, the

dredge boat shortened to conform to size of paper; Fig. 2 is a plan view illustrating the arrangement of the overflow pipes or channels; Fig. ,3- s. an ielevatlon of one of my improved pockets and the means for deliv.

ering the water and solid matter thereto Fig, 4 is a central longitudinal section of Similar reference numerals indicate like parts in the several figures of the drawing.

The numeral'l represents a dredge scow or boat of any ordinary construction, and 2, 2, etc., a series of any desired number of what are well known "as pockets, rising from the bottom of the scow or-boatand extending a sufficient height above'the deck j of the boat, and formed with what is known as a coaming 3, provided with overflow i -channels or pipes 4, which, when'desired, are

in'thefmanner hereinafter described.

The numeral 6 is designed to simply represent the' means by which the water ad-i' mixed with the solid material is delivered bymeansof a centrifugal pump (deemed not necessary to show) to a trough 7 suitably mounted and supported above the several pockets 2. As each pocketjis filled, a

drop valve 8, controlled by a wire'cable 9= and operated by a cable 11, is caused to close the delivery of the water and solid materlal to the pocket 2 immediately beneath, I, the same, and the material is then permitted 2 tinction to delivering the same in such man- The water and solid matter is delivered to each Q depositing and accumulating the solid ma to enter the next succeeding pocket.

pocket through a tube or conduit 12, to which is vibratively connected by a bolt 13, or in any suitable manner, a conveyer upper extremity of the coaming 3 of the pocket,-- a nd surrounding and telescoping ondary conduit 15, which is raised and lowshaft 17 in theisame manner that the overflow valves are connected with their operat ing shaft, as shown inFi'g. 6.' The shaft '17 is operatedby meansof ashaft 18 and hand-wheel 19 and gearing 20 and 21, and

the shaft 18 is held against reverse rotation Fig. The vertical movement of the telescopic conduit is guided through the mediunr-ofcables25, a cross head'26 and pulleys-27 in an obvious manner.

The numeral 28 represents a vibrative brake, by which the downward movement of the telescopicf conduit 15 is controlled when the pawl 23 is released from the 'ratchet'22.- The vibrative connection between the conduit l4". and the conduit or tube 12 is designed to accommodate the delivery conduits to any sea vibration of thedredge,

I and to dispense with'the present expensive tubing, v The coaming of each pocket 1s provided connection, consisting of a rubber on each side with the flap valves 5, which are opened and closed by means of wire cables 29 connected to the bottom extremi ties of said valves, and to shafts 30 operated by a hand-wheel 31, at one end of which shafts is a ratchet 32, with which a pawl H 33 meshes when the valves 5 are to beheld in open position.

The pockets 2, in so far as the means for emptying the same, are substantially the same as at present constructed, and I have not deemed it necessary to show such means. closed by hinged or flap valves 5, operated f While I have shown and described an ap 5 parat-us which I have especially designed to carry out my novel method and which constitntes the subject matter of a divisional application, I' desire it to be understood that other apparatus may be employed in carrying out my improved method which embodies the generic principle in a selfcontained dredging machine of delivering the'solid material mixed with water, initially at the bottom of the pockets or receptacles and then immediately adjacent to the accumulations of the same, in contradisner as to dependupon the law of gravity for terial.

Having described my nnproved method,

Letters Patent is, v

1. The method herein described of removing' and recovering solid matter fromthe movably"; with reference thereto, is a sec-i bottom of waterways which consists in first j disturbing the solid matter and mingling it ered by means of cables 16 connected to a with the overlying water and then' delivering the commingled bodies primarily at the bottom of a suitable receptacle upon a floating dredge and then successively close what I claim as new and desire to secure by 5 14:, which extends a short distance below the to the accumulating body of solid matter in said receptacle.

2. The method hereinbefore described or recovering the solid matter removed from the bottom of waterways, which consists in disturbing and mingling the solid matter with dredge and successively loading said pockets In testimony whereof, I have signed my With the solid material by delivering the name to this specification in the p esence of 10 Water and solid material in its mingled contWo subscribing Witnesses.

dition first at the bottom of each pocket and subsequently close to the accumulating body STEWART ALBERT GEOGHEGAN of solid matter, whereby the solid matter is Witnesses:

prevented from floating ithin the pocket CHAS. M. BIRGKHEAD,

and escaping through the overflow channels. EDWIN D. BARKER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Iatents, Washington, D. C. 

